Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-03

hotel that they might draw on him fol
such funds as were necessary to provide
them with proper clothing, and thl;
evening they are feeling more comfort
able.
The fire was first noticed in the lavatory
by j. G. Marshall, of Philadel phia.
The clerk was quickly informed of the
fact. He called up q number of Ser
wants, who, thinking they could check
the fire without much trouble and fear
ing that panic might be caused by a
sudden alarm, went to work to extn'
gulsh the ire without rOusing the
guests. There was no building in the
world better provided with means of
extinguishing fires than was the Hotel
del Monte. A hose was placed in every
corridor, fire extinguishers were in every
hallway, and a magnificent system OF
waterworks had been built by the COM
pany at cost of nearly half a million
dollars, which was capable of throwing
stream at height of one hundred
| feet. Besides this, over twenty thou
sand dollars had been expended
on water appliances within the build.
ing, until, as was believed,
nothing had been left undone to secure
both the building and the guests from
loss or accident by fire. In order to se-
cure an ample supply of water, Charles
Crocker three years ago purchased the
ranch which includes the Carmelo river
and erected an immense reservoir and
mains at cost of $4,000 The force
of water was so great that if full head
was turned on it would have torn down
any ordinary sized bu lding. When the
clerk and his assistants turned on the
water they were Mortified to find that
the force was so weak as to barely give
forth sprinkle. They rushed to turn
on additional streams with o similar re.
suit, showing clearly, as was after.
wards more fully realized, that
the water works had been tam
pered with. The Railways began to
fill with smoke and the employees Of the
house found that the fire was spreading,
though they coald not locate it. Soon
it became evident that they could not
control the flames, and an alarm was
given by the servants rushing through
he halls and calling on the guests to get
up and fly for their lives, for the house
was burning down. Soon the hotel be.
came the scene of the widest confusion.
Servants were running down the corri.
dors to awaken the guests and found
that the smoke was becoming denser
and denser. They were almost frantic
in their appeals to the guests to come
out. Then men, women and children
dashed from the rooms, clad only in
their night clothes and such wraps as
they could snatch from the beds. A few
halted to secure their jewels ami
money. but the black smoke which
came rolling along the halls warned them
to waste no time in getting out OF the
building. Down the broad stairways
rushed the frightened guests, only to be
confronted with a heavy volume of
smoke and bursts of flames on the lower
floor. They had to dash through the
smoke and fl lmes to tiud place of safe.
ty. Many ladies conld not summon up
courage enough to face the ordeal, and
fled shreking to the windows OF the floor
above, where their cries for help almost
drove their friends frantic. In the
meantime the hook and ladder company
connected with the hotel was at
work, and ladders were run up to
second and third stories, down
which the servants carried the
women and children, who were
afraid to face the smoke and the flame
ON the lower floor. The clerk, who was
first notified of the fire, made the most
strenuous Efforts with his brigade to put
out the flames, but the water could not
be got. Manager Schoenwald, who only
resumed charge yesterday, seeing that
the hotel could not be saved, gave orders
that all hands devote themselves to see-
ing that all guests were taken out and 10
saving as much of the furniture and
clothing as possible. Soon the servants
began to throw from the windows beds
and bedding and such articles as would
not be smashed by a fall
The fire was discovered fifteen
minutes before the alarm was given and
five minutes later the last guest was out
of the house. The horror of the night
was made worse by the pilchy darkness,
for after the fire broke out, the gas
main burst and the hotel Yves plunged
in gloom. The frightened guests hud-
died together on the lawn and beneath
the shelter of the trees. The bowling
alley aud saloon, which are about one
hundred yards from the hotel, we're CIV
en- up to the use of ladies and children,
and all mattresses and bedding that were
saved were placed there for their use.
Most of the luggage of guests was in
an annex that was the last rart of the
building to catch on fire, aud nearly all
that was saved, but most of the
luggage in the main building: Twas
lost. Nearly all things in the safe were
saved. All kinds of bric.a- brac and
valuables We're scattered about on the
lawn. The male guests worked hard to
save what they could, but the heat soon
became so intense that they were driven
away from the building. There was no
wind blowing. or the bowling alley and
stables would have caught too. In less
than half an hour the huge building
was enveloped in flames, aud within
three hours was totally consumed, the
only vestige now remaining being the
brick chimneys. The total loss,
including losses of guests, will
probably reach $1,000, 1000. The
only guest who was at all injured
was Captain Scott. Boston oapit list,
who burned his hands in too rapid
descent on rope from the window of
the room he occupied. From the fact
that the water 10 the pipes had been
tampered with, and that Immediately
after the first outbreak of the fire the
flames were noticed in another part of
the building, it is firmly believed that it
was the work of an incendiary. The
matter will be strictly investigated. Col.
Fred Crocker confirms the staten ent
made in the morning of the company's g
intention to rebuild the hotel.
A new building to be similar in style
to the one destr yed, bat very much
larger and one story higher, will be
built. The architects are already at
work on the plans and every effort will
be made to have it finished within six
months. The destruction of the hotel
is looked upon as calamity to the en-
tire State.